"Are you… there?" Sally whispered as the wanderers backed away in shock.
Aletha responded with a nervous smile. She was still confused about what she saw.
"Y-Yeah…"
Then, both she and Asahi heard the sound of chatter surrounding all of them. They turned their heads around and saw the same batch of goblin villagers staring at them, confused. Now they understood what Phthonus meant by humility.
As they slowly walked away from the group, Asahi whispered in his mind.
"I could have sworn that silhouette was Aiyana. Why is our memory getting clogged up?"
Then, he felt a heavy feeling weigh against his back. A sense of rage... a pure emotion that he can barely describe. His gray eyes fogged up, his palms sweat, and heat gradually increased inside his body. He looked at Phthonus and saw him closer toward Aletha.
Unlike his usual act, Asahi was a lot more aggressive.
He swiftly flew to Phthonus and raised his voice.
"What do you think you're doing to my sister? Huh? Back off!"
Without hesitation, he pushed Phthonus away from Aletha.
"Get away from her!" He yelled.
Phthonus sneered at Asahi then raised his voice.
"What was that for?"
Asahi crossed his arms and gritted his teeth. This anger inside his mind almost felt forced and uncontrollable. He stood and towered Phthonus in a masculine tone; it's practically unidentifiable to who he was previously.
"You KNOW exactly what you were doing. Degenerate."
Drimi and Sally's eyes widened in shock.
"Hey? Why are you two--
Suddenly, Asahi swung his fist toward Phthonus' jaw and spewed a few bits of crimson into the air. The crowd gasped in surprise as the scarf slowly descended to the grass. His eyes fogged up, blood stained on his thick white hair, and his face froze in confusion.
From outside the goblin crowd, someone yelled.
"ASAHI! Why are you doing this?!"
Asahi never bear to reply. All he did was continue to near his face toward Phthonus with unexplained hatred and rage. This feeling couldn't be controlled; it wouldn't be enough even if he was fighting a war with the forced sense.
Aletha tried to run to him, but she then got forced to the ground by Asahi without hesitation. She raised her voice as she saw her brother's blank gray eyes stare through her soul.
"Big brother, why are you doing this?! What has gotten into you?"
Asahi's hair blocked his own gray eyes. He couldn't control himself; he felt a fury so intense that it almost burned his mind. Marina hollered as she tried to run to him.
"You know, Asahi! All the villagers are watching you!"
Asahi gritted his teeth and tightly clenched his fists. He swiftly stomped his feet against the ground and stepped closer to Phthonus. Aletha tried to settle him down, but all that did was make Asahi angrier. He was absolutely finished with everyone's 'apparent' lies.
As Asahi stepped closer to Phthonus, she whispered to herself.
"He's not acting like himself. My big brother… is acting like a psycho."
Drimi stepped in front of Asahi and grabbed him by the neck. Her long silky dark hair slightly brushed against his face, almost as if it was suffocating Asahi. The only thing that came from it was that blossom scent that lingered in her skin.
Asahi was so angry he didn't even question how that scent got on her. He just assumed it was just some 'natural' smell of hers.
Phthonus squinted his eyes to Asahi then stomped his foot on the ground. There was particular envy that not even he, himself, can understand in his mind; Jealousy was so intense that it burned ever since he lost his only love. It was envy that was strong that even he couldn't comprehend it.
Despite blood drawing from his lip, Phthonus taunted Asahi in his own fury.
"What are you going to do, pretty boy? Are you just going to take advantage of others from your appearance? Are you going to use your personality or affiliation for your own gain? Are you gonna force your followers to do your work?"
His voice cracked, showing how angry Phthonus was at Asahi.
"Y-You don't even listen to your own sister! You're… no god. In my eyes, you're an absolute phony."
Though all of his words were true, Asahi refused to accept it, and instead-- Phthonus' words only fueled the fire burning inside even further. Asahi's current act was so distinct from himself, his own mind grew confused and lost. It seems he was alone in a dark, misty forest, with no one to help him.
Just as Phthonus could say another word, Asahi neared Phthonus and swung his fist straight at his jaw, splattering crimson into the air.
Everyone that surrounded them gasped in shock. Most were incapable of considering what Asahi did. Even Aletha, Asahi's sister, was inconceivably stunned. The surroundings couldn't have been more silent.
Asahi sneered his eyes toward Phthonus and spat at his face, completely displaying disrespect toward everyone. Aletha pushed Asahi away from Phthonus and screamed at him.
"Asahi, what are you doing?!"
Despite her loud cries, Asahi ignored her and wiped the crimson liquid off his skin. Drimi, Sally, and the rest of the village were speechless. They all stressed that Asahi had more power than they ever thought. So they backed off and watched as Phthonus bled on the floor.
Asahi placed his foot against Phthonus' face. There wasn't any hesitation in him, just pure heartlessness. As Marina watched from a distance, Asahi pushed his feet further on his face.
Asahi heard a loud grunt sound from beneath his feet. Despite the loud shrieks, Asahi continued to ignore him.
Drimi clenched her fists and tore her mask off. She couldn't take more of Asahi's unnecessary acts, yet when she tried to counter Asahi, she got immediately tossed into the air and pummeled to the ground, like an ant getting buried into a grave. Sally backed away and tripped on a pebble.
Asahi squinted his eyes toward Sally and shouted at her.
"Get your hands off of me! You know nothing on who I--
For a moment, he paused and looked around. In his face was a sight of pure terror. There wasn't fog in his eyes. But soon, that fog returned, and so did his sociopathic personality. Drimi lifted her face up from the ground and stepped in front of Asahi. Even with her vital patience, Asahi's pathetic move was unacceptable.
"You're doing this all for that?! Do you have any idea what Phthonus did for your sister?!"
Asahi, without hesitation, kicked Drimi to the air and screamed. His face couldn't have been more demonic and selfish.
"Stay out of this conversation, INSECT! You're just a dirty tool that wears a mask. What are you? Some sort of coward?!"
When she turned her head up to Asahi, Drimi trembled in fear. It felt as if she was an insect, almost getting stepped on from Asahi. She never wanted to present herself to others as weak, yet still, she couldn't keep her confidence. While she tried to get up, she got slapped back into the ground by Asahi.
"Stay there! I didn't tell you to move." He said to Drimi with a deep, fierce tone.
Aletha shut her eyes and released a deep sigh. She knew that this was Asahi's worst side of himself. Something was exploiting his personality to force him to be this way.
"No…"
Aletha knew that this was the truest form of Asahi's worst.
As she saw the entire crowd stare at Asahi, Aletha whispered to herself.
"There is no way… that my big brother could all of a sudden become this way. Still, it doesn't mean I should allow him to harm others."
Sally pulled her long platinum hair from the ground and transformed toward her smaller self. It seemed to her she never wanted to be in this situation.
Yet despite her attempts to flee, she was still affected by the anger. Something sounded from outside the bushes, yet no one bears any attention to it.
Sally slowly lifted her face up from the ground and whispered.
"... that's so disheartening. I can't believe it. After all, me, Drimi, Belial, Akwan, and Phthonus are all humans…."
As each drop of blood spilled out from Phthonus' wound, Asahi grew more aggressive. He swiftly forced his foot against Phthonus' head and screamed at him while his teeth clenched together.
"Know your place!"
His entire soul seemed to be separated from his true self. Phthonus struggled to push Asahi away, but instead-- gradual force slowly crushed his face toward the cold dirt. He almost felt he was suffocating from the pressure.
Phthonus then closed his eyes and burned Asahi's fingers with fragments of his magic. Then, he pushed Asahi away and sprinted toward a straw house.
As Asahi lifted his face off the debris, Phthonus screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Know your place? KNOW YOUR PLACE?! You bastard! You know nothing about me!"
Immediately, Phthonus ran to Asahi and swung his fist at full force. Instead of crimson, it was Dust that spilled out from Asahi. He toppled and tripped himself to the floor. Unlike Asahi, Phthonus felt his wounds slowly closing.
"Huh?"
He turned to his wound and saw a faint green luminance floating. He wiped his blood off and tilted his head behind, and he saw a boy with long dark hair that wore a dark brown cloak; stealthily stand behind a thick patch of bushes. Just by his attire, Phthonus recognized who the boy was.
"Belial?"
Despite their distance, Belial could still hear him from meters away. Phthonus had a special power; A power to hear from miles away. Perhaps it was an attribute melded from a particular animal trait.
However, Belial knew that something wasn't right; he never wanted anyone to lose their lives. He was afraid that someone could be hurt by his actions. So, instead of walking in, he smiled and whispered to Belial.
"Yes, it's me. Pretend I wasn't here. For the greater good."
"Thank you, Belial. It's been a long time." Phthonus replied.
Belial ran back toward the bushes and hid from the scene. He never wanted to interfere with the situation, knowing someone else could be stalking the area.
Meanwhile, at the epicenter of the village, Asahi stood back up and tossed a wooden plank toward Phthonus. Despite the current situation, nature continued to 'speak.' The birds continued to chirp, the winds continued to howl, and the insects continued to hum.
As the others stared at Asahi, Aletha sprinted up to him and blocked his way. He tried to step forward but then was thwarted by Aletha.
Even Aletha's body trembled in fear when she saw that cold gaze from her brother. Lifeless… gray eyes. No glimmer, no emotion, nothing.
Then, as silence filled the area, Asahi faintly whispered with his eyes blocked from his hair.
"Get out of my way."
When he tried to walk in another direction, Aletha shook her head and blocked Asahi.
"Don't hurt Phthonus! You don't know what he did to save me!"
Despite hearing Aletha, Asahi doesn't bear to care. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and asked her with a slightly louder aggressive tone.
"Get… out… of… my… way."
Aletha still doesn't listen, making the others shocked. It seems she does possess a more assertive behavior toward situations. It's as if she was revealing the best of herself, and Asahi revealing the worst.
As Asahi intimidatingly stood in front of Aletha, Phthonus mumbled with absolute disbelief.
"No, not his sister…."
While Phthonus stood back up and dashed as fast as he could to Asahi, without a single smidge of hesitation, Asahi forcefully pushed Aletha to the ground and stomped his foot against her leg.
"I told you to get out of my way…." He yelled.
Despite being the worst, he still had some empathy for his sister. There were no bruises, nor were their injuries.
Never in her lifetime; had she ever been treated like that by her brother. Aletha tremblingly muttered while tears started to fall down her pale cheek.
"Asahi…"
Marina swiftly fled the area. She never wanted to take part in any of this. However, when she tried to run, she accidentally dropped a book next to the trunk of a pine tree.
Marina was still confused about where Deniz was. This made the encounter all too much unpreventable.
As activity stirred, Phthonus swung his leg back to Asahi and screamed.
"Do you know what I did? I'll tell you…."
He swung his fist back to Asahi.
"I saved your sister's life from Abril. That's why she was covered in charcoal. If I were not there, your sister would have died! Listen to me, and we can--
While Phthonus tries to scream his lungs out, Asahi swings his fists so hard at Phthonus that it forces his opponent to be unconscious.
Despite explaining to Asahi that Phthonus had saved Aletha, Asahi didn't listen. It truly angered Aletha to the pinnacle degree. As sparks of hatred flung inside Aletha's mind, she whispered to herself.
"Asahi."
No one did anything for Phthonus. All they did was watch. Mainly because most of the magic in the village was not present for some reason.
The goblins never bear to attack, nor did the others. Only Phthonus could pass the magic barrier because of some sort of necessity hidden deep in him.
. . .
Every punch from Asahi gradually grew more robust. Belial tried to heal Phthonus. However, his strength couldn't eclipse Asahi's power.
He tumbled on the floor and screamed to Asahi.
"Please... stop. This is... unnecessary. You don't even realize what's in this villa--"
Then, his face gets pummeled back toward the floor. One attack after another, the forest grew silent. Not even the sound of a bird is heard; only the sound of hits echo over the forest.
Aletha's patience couldn't tolerate this anymore. She shut her eyes and stood up. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and pressed her hand against her heart.
"I know that you're my brother, but I can't allow you to harm others. This is against the rules of our parents..."
As each step resounded over the ground, her gray eyes get entirely swallowed in black, and so does her attire. Her face wasn't as friendly as it was previously. It was more brutal, lifeless, and furious.
Those black eyes brought fear to everyone, even her brother. Even she never truly understood that power. However, when her eyes go entirely black, most fear once they stare.
Asahi trembled in fear and dropped the stick. It's as if a void was in Aletha's eyes. As she slowly took a step forward, he turned his head toward Phthonus and jumped up in shock.
"Huh?!"
Then, the fog returned. Asahi gave a sick grin toward her and taunted.
"Go ahead! Try me... sister. You would lose."
Everything went silent after that.
The only thing they could hear was their own heartbeats. One beat after another; it symbolized how close they were to falling apart. Dreamtoe's forced emotion seemed to have ruined lives; this forest was all just a discrepancy from the start.
Asahi turned his head toward Aletha's hands and saw a black void hovering at the center of her fingers. Small white particles also surrounded the black orb, almost matching the pattern on her and Asahi's attire.
Asahi didn't hesitate to kick Phthonus' face once more. As soon as he was about to slay Phthonus, as soon as he took his close breath to death, suddenly, a massive beam of darkness blasted out of Aletha's hands.
Then the shade swiftly transformed to a bright white, completely knocking Asahi into the air. Everyone gasped in shock.
"NO!"
The darkness that shrouded Aletha's eyes vanished. Her gray pupils trembled in pure disbelief. She closed her eyes and formed a tear on her face. As others tried to comfort her, she swiftly ran away toward the bushes, sobbing roughly.
Kali swiftly ran to Asahi and stared.
She knew that something was wrong with him. He would never suddenly act like that.
Just as things could get any worse, a man that wore mechanical armor stepped from the bushes, with Belial's neck caressed from his gloves. His purple visor glowed with glowing luminance shimmering on his attire.
He never said a word, but instead, he instantly strafed toward Aletha's path and blasted a laser toward one of the houses.
Asahi, Drimi, and the rest knew who that was.
"Tear..." Mumbled Sally.
Belial got tossed toward the floor near Phthonus, with his face covered in ash. Despite seeming to be harmed, Belial still had the energy to heal Phthonus from Asahi's mistake.
"I sincerely thank you..."
As Phthonus tried to swing to Asahi, Kali stopped them and screamed.
"Aletha could be in danger! WE NEED TO FOLLOW THEM NOW!"
"So... we're just going to disregard what Asahi did?"
Just before Phthonus could swing at Asahi again, the goblin elder whispered.
"It's not him; It's... Dreamtoe..."