Vanilla vision were tilting and blurring, tears of blood flows from her eyes as she slowly turned her face to Peirce, who was staring at her with no emotions but with tears rolling down his cheeks, sorrowfully dropped on her bloody dress.
"It was never your fault though… " Gasping Vanilla after saying it, she screamed in pain.
Peirce held her to himself as her blood stained his clothes with a closed eyes, he grieved; "I wish I had never go to the Humane Kingdom. I wish I never stolen the flowers, I wish I never… " He looked at Sniffia, who was staring at him also, with her wet eyes, "all this will have never happened. I regret it all… I … " before he could finished his word, Vanilla lifted her hand gently touched his right cheek.
Who would have thought Peirce could finally blame himself for all that has happened to his new found friend, who would have thought this could end with someone who has being admiring him for so long behind the scenes, will be the one to be hurt the most, who would have thought all these? Afterall It's a misery how life pushes us to things we can't understand, we never know if that slight changes leads us to where we are going or leads us to our ends.
"Did you think there is a possibility between you and I? If it doesn't ends this way. I can't stop to wonder in this life time... Is that too much to hope for? Life is so fragile but at least I have known this feeling... no matter what happens next, I will always be glad there is someone like you in this world. That's your fate... This is mine." She slowly said as her eyes slowly rolled up into her head, "Don't stop... your dreams, your inventions, your… " before she could finish her words are eyes closed shut and her hand fell only to be raised no more.
Peirce blinked.
"Vani…. Vanilla. Please wake up. Please…Vanilla!" he said in a low tone, gently shaking her then he clenched his teeth, crying profusely.
He laid her gently on the floor, Sniffia stared at him, snifffled as she felt helpless.
As she ever cry for someone apart from Jared. As she ever believe in her friends; she as no one. Her life in the Humane Kingdom was never a place she felt this free and loved over these months at the Inhumane village, why now? when everything is close to perfect.
Sniffia rubbed her eyes with her hand as she dropped it looking at Peirce, her eyes widened with what she saw on Peirce's.
She breathes hard.
Peirce body was glowing but differently, his glowing shined so bright that it slowly turned into a visible aura as small dots of sparkling green particles filled the air. It triggered Vanilla's body to glow in her color red which mixed with Peirce's producing a yellow aura that reflected on Sniffia's eyes and her skin with her mouth slightly opened.
"Peirce." Sniffia whispered.
Meanwhile Jared was still singlehandedly fighting the Beasts, he kicked one in his side crushing his opponent's arm, flinging him to the other side as he smacked the huge tree on his side then Jared flew back to where the teenagers were while glaring at Azra and his kind as they fall only to rise again.
"You should have tell me before killing the kid," Azra whispered to Aghogho then he looked at Jared.
"You are Lord Jared right?" he asked, Jared unblinking focusing on Azra. "I knew it. The distinct scar on your face and your potency of air. You were the one then, you and your kind made a huge mistake by attacking the Sliver Maned Wolf pack and keeping the only survivor as your own, Jared Airbrock!" Azra eyes glowed,
Jared inhaled.
"Am truly sorry, we were given a mission to do so," Jared said, grieving for what he had done in the past, "you had something that could destroy the world." Jared revealed, Aghogho giggled, he took one step towards Jared,
"Are you talking about the history book of the Beast kingdom written by a so called ancient Forest Nymph, where the Beast in the bottomless hole is located? See you. It was all a lie, the stories, Dragons, the Beast in the bottomless hole. They are all fables we say to our cubs at moonlight stories."
"Are we? Are we fables?!" Jared asked.
Aghogho groaned suddenly his appearances changed as he grew bigger, wilder and hairier, his nails grew sharper and his canine teeth also as he thudded towards Jared.
"Grrr... Lord Jared... Grrr... The Divine Humane... Grrr... Today will be the day you die!!" Aghogho yelled.
Jared raised his hand towards Aghogho.
"I don't think so." Immediately, he said it, Aghogho dashed to him swinging a kick, Jared easily dodged it, Aghogho widened his eyes, "believe me. I fought someone much faster than the speed of light." He held Aghogho's leg slammed him as he cratered into the ground, Jared raised his fist up, the air became more intensed, rustling the trees around them as it firmly swirled to his arm with a force he dropped his arm. Before hitting Aghogho, a slimy tongue suddenly wrapped around Jared's wrist, giving Aghogho the slight opportunity to rolled out of the impact as Jared's hand went straight to the ground which caused an mini earthquake making the cracks almost reaching where Azra stood, Jared dragged the Beast whose tongue was wrapped around his wrist towards him, grabbed his face and smashed him to the ground as the tongue slowly unwrapped from his wrist then another tongue touched his lower back this time it sticked. He tried to removed the tongue only to be hit with another at his left lower side of his back which pierced through his skin, Jared strained then swung the Beast using his potency to collide with the one at his left, detaching the sting tongue from his side.
Finally he gripped the sticky tongue on his back then dashed behind the person with a quick hit on her neck, knocking her down.
He glanced at her on the floor.
"One down." He stared at Aghogho, "Ninety nine to go."
Meanwhile, inside the wind barrier. Sniffia stared at Peirce hopefully, she noticed Vanilla's wounds were slowly closing up as the yellow aura filled the air, finally the wound fully healed and the bloods around them dried up.
Peirce opened his eyes he looked at Vanilla's wound his face brightened up because there was no wound visible to his eyes.
"Her wound… she is… " Sniffia held Vanilla's hand waiting for any movement or to open her eyes with a smile she looked at Peirce who sniffled and smile back, Sniffia smiled towards Vanilla's body then she paused, noticed she wasn't breathing, she looked at Peirce with a confused look.
Peirce noticed Vanilla's body also.
"Whether she-" He closed his eyes tightly, "I will try once more."
Suddenly, one of the Beast hollowed out from the ground right in front of them going straight to Peirce, held his back head, pinning him down to the ground, Sniffia, immediately took her dagger on the floor charged towards him before reaching him she was stung by the Beast's long but piercing tail which immediately paralyzed her as she fell on her face.
"You don't mess with Expats. I Aghul the… "
Being Expats meant Azra with all the Beast who followed him were banished from the Beast kingdom each commiting a crime or the other.
"I… I won't let you do that to my friend." Peirce railed, Aghul clenched his jaw, groaning and immediately smashed Peirce face to the ground, over and over again.
"I hate it when someone cut me off. You should have just shut up for my intro! You brat!! Shut up. Shut up I say!!" Aghul roared as he smashed Peirce's face to the ground then he stopped and looked at Vanilla's body laying near them.
Seems the brat is a healer. An Inhumane that heals, how possible? Aghul thought. Peirce strongly raised his bloody face up while Aghul's hand was on it.
"I won't let you hurt my friends." Peirce vouched, Aghul smashed Peirce's face into the ground once again.
"Well. I was told about the Inhumane's ability of great endurance. Hmmmm. Fascinating." Aghul said as he swung his tail around, licked his lips with his tongue sticking out.
Peirce slowly raised his head up in pain matching the strength of Aghul's, the Beast widened his eyes then stung Peirce with his tail thrice, Peirce grunted but still struggled lifting his head then Peirce lifted his hand and gripped Aghul's wrist, immediately fear crossed Aghul's face,
"How possible! You should not move after been stung by my tail!! You… "
Peirce held his wrist tightly.
"Saving my friends and protecting them is what I will… " before Peirce could finish his words, Aghul slammed Peirce's face over, over, over and over again!!
"I won't... I won't be belittled by you brats!!" Aghul raged, Sniffia, still on the ground near them as she can't move her body, she opened her eyes slowly to where Aghul and Peirce were, breathing heavily as her eyes were suddenly wide open then she tried moving her hands, Aghul turned his eyes, "You also!! What's wrong with my tail today. You mere cubs!!" he swung his tail to were Sniffia laid and stung her continuously, making Sniffia to cry so loud it reaches where Jared was as he was fighting with the Expats while Azra stood with some of the Expats far from the fight. Observing.
"Sniffia…" Jared whispered as he turned towards the wind barrier, Aghogho dashed to his front, invading the space between him and Jared, gave out a fiendish grin.
"Eyes here… " Aghogho said, then he clawed Jared's right eye with one of his fingers.
"Don't be a fool for a little girl that is never yours in the first place!"