As Asahi hollered, he saw that most villagers were getting tossed into the air, with weapons flying toward the ground. The surroundings of the forest were engulfed into a blaze; its volume was choking and crisp, enough to make anyone fall onto the floor.
"Why… is… it so hot here?"
The warm, sweltering flames sputter around, scattering around the treetops and pushing the wildlife back. Aletha, Drimi, and the others leaped onto the same rooftop of the abandoned building and witnessed as the entire area got drowned into a blood-freckled cloud of fire. Drimi hollered as she pulled out the magenta flames from her wrist.
"She's coming…."
Belial nodded his head and turned toward the large opening of smoke far from the other side of the area. From there, he could see a massive four-legged silhouette topple down trees and walk toward the village. Its long nine tails brushed the smoke back, forcing most of it to burn the other forest down. Two of its large orange eyes stared straight through Asahi and Aletha's, then slowly, it prowled its way down toward the center of the village.
As its nose pointed toward the treetops, the beast elegantly wagged its tails and roared, unleashing burning energy from within her ears.
"In what opposition are these two doing here? Were they not supposed to return?!"
Belial slowly tilted toward Asahi and squinted his eyes.
"Do you have any sort of connection with this beast?"
The Kitsune lifted her head up and unleashed a barrage of fire spirits from in-between the jaw of her mouth. As spots of flames splattered onto the ground, Belial closed his eyes and transformed into a large brown wolf with glowing green eyes. He slid across the roof and crouched, getting ready to lunge at the Kitsune.
"When this is over… well, if we hope so… you will have to explain yourself on what that kitsune said."
Drimi crossed her arms and nodded.
"Okay.."
Belial nodded his head, then sprinted down across the flames, growling and howling, pushing the fire back with his powerful burst of green aura. Sally seized her arms toward the ground, lunged her legs, and stared straight through the Kitsune's eyes.
"For the sake of her brother."
Then she fell and unleashed a wave of crystal icicle magic through the flames. As chain reactions and growls sounded out from the cloud of crimson smoke, Drimi pulled Asahi and Aletha down the village and pushed them toward the group of cowering goblin villagers.
"Huh? What are you doing?!"
"Keep them safe. If you must, you and Aletha will fend off the flames and fight the Kitsune."
Drimi launched into the air, placed her mask over her head, and unleashed a barrage of dark purple beams of light. She struck the Kitsune's leg and grabbed a large branch using all of her strength. She then shriveled and dissolved it into a bright lavender glow, unleashing a ground pound and screaming.
"Take this!"
While Drimi and the others fought the Kitsune, Asahi and Aletha turned toward the cowering group of goblins and asked.
"Are you all safe?"
The goblin elder shook her head and responded.
"Just… slay… that monster. She has terrorized us for decades, stirring problems and cursing this forest. It is the beast that is the disturbance of Dreamtoe Cliff. Please, oh mighty gods, slay the beast and bless this forest. Set our souls free, and save the poor children."
Asahi and Aletha's hearts froze. Their gray eyes widened in shock hearing the elder call herself a soul. He ran toward the elder goblin, cleared his throat, and raised his voice.
"W-What do you mean… souls?"
Then… he noticed. Surrounding his hand was the essence of a nearly transparent aura. A ghostly, paranormal fabric that only spirits have. Asahi slowly backed away toward a tree, constantly shaking his head and quivering.
"No… t-that can't be. Y… You're all--
Aletha took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Yes, Asahi. She is correct. When we were still separated, I read the book in the basement at the repulsive building inside the wooden shack. They are… trapped souls."
"No… no… no…"
Asahi clenched his fists and gripped onto his blade. With the memories of both the souls trapped in the cocoon and the skulls located far beneath that wretched basement, Asahi sprinted away from the group with fury.
"You monster!"
Aletha tried to chase Asahi, but she was already too late. He was within the boundaries of the 'arena.' As she hyperventilated behind a dead tree, the goblin elder and the rest of the group kneeled toward her and whispered.
"It's okay… dear. You don't have to fight it if you want."
She stared at her hands with a look of guilt, remembering what she said to that goblin child in the past. Aletha promised him that they would slay the monster, but now recollecting the memory of what happened to her with Phthonus… her mind was tied in knots. However, just as she was about to fall to the floor, she felt a small warm hand pull her up.
"H-Huh?"
Aletha slowly tilted her head up and saw a warm smiling face of a young child with green skin pull her up and cheer her on.
"Go and help them! Remember that promise…?"
With a weak smile, Aletha nodded her head and replied.
"Of… course."
The child jumped up and raised his voice.
"Then go and fight with them! I want to see you kill that monster too!"
Despite being scared of the Kitsune, Aletha had a glimmer of hope sparkle in her eyes. She felt pushed, motivated, and confident seeing the child and goblin cheer them on.
"You can do it, young lady!"
"We believe in you!"
"We ALL believe in you. Do the right thing!"
Aletha nodded her head and pushed herself back up. She clutched her fingers on the handle of the blade, took a deep breath, then sprinted as fast as she could through the smoke with a strong, brave smile.
"They… believe in me…."
* * * * * * * *
While hearing the cheers from the villagers fade away, the smoke cleared and revealed a massive beast striking its tails through Belial. The surrounding area was bathed in a cloud of toxic black smoke, with hints of ember and ash swallowing the lush green grass alive. As Aletha dropped to the floor in shock, she saw the Kitsune slowly turn her body toward her.
"So… we meet again…?"
Aletha closed her eyes and tremblingly grasped her blade. She saw the nine tails of the kitsune wag back and forth, the paws of the Kitsune scorching the ground, and warm yellow eyes peering straight through Aletha's soul. The Kitsune leaned slowly, leaned her pointed nose toward Aletha's face, and rubbed it gently back and forth over Aletha's cheek. The part of her face had the symbol of an 'S.'
It's as if the Kitsune was delighted to see Aletha again, like a warm and welcoming pet.
But, just as the Kitsune could approach further, she has ruthlessly launched away from Aletha with a large purple beam from Drimi. Her eyes widened; she stepped back and sighed.
"What the…?!"
She was relieved but also stunned by that sudden attack. It's as if Aletha deemed the Kitsune friendly. Aletha faintly whispered to herself as she pushed herself up from the ground.
"That's… strange."
Then, as she wiped the dust away from her torso, she saw Asahi covered in burn marks, running toward her with a worried look on his face. While he leaned to her, he whispered.
"Sis, are you alright?!"
Her vision was blurry. Aletha saw Drimi and Sally unleash magic toward the lower body of the Kitsune. Blasts, rumbles, and explosions all surround the area, pushing the wall of flames and smoke back. She grappled on her blade and replied.
"I'm… fine."
Aletha took a deep breath and turned toward the right side of the circle of flames.
"Agh!!"
Both the wanderers hastily turned their heads and saw Belial get scratched and burned from the Kitsune's nine tails and paws. His fur shredded, his eyes wobbled, and his tail lowered as if all the animal-like features vanished. Drimi and Sally dodged the screaming flames and screamed to Belial.
"NO!"
Asahi and Aletha hastily shook their heads and jumped back up. The attack on Belial made them furious, with their hearts thumping with adrenaline and speed. Even though they were practically weak without their powers, they used all their physical strength and past memories of wielding a sword to strike the Kitsune with force.
Asahi screamed at the Kitsune while dodging its swift strikes and striking it on its tail.
"Grrr, you will pay for what you did!"
The Kitsune responded as it formed a streak of flames under her paw.
"For what? It wasn't the responsibility of I that led them to their demise. Rather, themselves!"
This angered the villagers and sparked an uproar.
"No, it's not!" Screamed a random person from the crowd.
The Kitsune gritted its teeth, then swung her tails straight at Drimi. Its eyes darted to Drimi's face, then she leaped up into the air and spiraled in a circular motion. Suddenly, a funnel of burning flames touched the ground and swirled near everyone. The Kitsune lunged back down and pounded its feet eerily near Sally's.
"Stolen all of what is from me."
The Kitsune dashed through the wall of flames and galloped around the entire group. The smoke spiraled in a complete storm, forming dust and ash clouds through the area. Even the earth started to tremble. From behind a cloud of smoke, a silhouette emerged. As Belial and Sally raced outside the burning wall of flames, most of the land purged into a blinding luminance.
"We were not supposed to do this until tomorrow. I can't believe it…."
She then swung her fist and pulled out the forceful energy that lingered in her body. Hatred burst through Drimi. Her mask hastily got tossed into the air and scorched from the rising embers. The atmosphere grew thicker and musky— a chain reaction of bursts drowned the area as the remaining particles of the mask flew away.
Drimi's amethyst eyes widened in shock.
"No…"
The Kitsune slammed its tail on Drimi and launched her into the air. The uneven gray smoke eclipsed the sun and formed a treacherous sagacious gray smoke from all directions. As Drimi was about to create four dark orbs, she got flung, overwhelmed by her own power, and slammed against a group of trees. Belial screamed.
"Drimi!"
Then his arms flailed, and like the tail of a feather, he was tossed from the Kitsune's legs and slammed against a solid stone. Asahi's gray eyes widened, inhaling the fumes in a nauseating amount. Aletha swiftly lifted her blade. Her arm trembled, and her eyes shrank in fear. She was uncertain and worried about what would happen if she harmed The Kitsune.
"It feels like a thousand eyeballs are staring at me…."
At a swift motion, with all her might and strength she had, her blade struck The Kitsune's body and spurted out thick white dust all over the air. The beast released a painful howl then sneered at Aletha and Asahi with a look of disbelief.
"I… no.... that can't be."
Asahi shook his head and wiped off all the horrible events that occurred. His only concern was Aletha and no one else. He hastily sprinted through the flames, rolled on the floor, and grabbed Aletha's hand. Instead of the feeling of the grasp being warm and soft, it was cold and shallow, like an empty husk. Asahi turned to Aletha and asked in a worried manner.
"Sis, are you alright?"
With her eyes shrinking, body trembling, and tears on her face, Aletha answered her brother in the coldest, shallow, empty voice Asahi had ever heard.
"She has the blood… of mine."
His eyes widened in shock, unable to believe Aletha. He turned to his wrist and saw some of his essence leak from a small cut. Like The Kitsune, his essence was white sparkling dust; sharing the same blood as The Kitsune. Fear lurched in his heart as he slowly stepped back from The Kitsune. His sword clashed with the ground and wobbled on it, shaking like the movement of Asahi's surprised body. He faintly muttered.
"T-That… can't be possible…"
Asahi slowly fell to his knees and stared at the sword. It was impossible for him to believe that The Kitsune, the beast that terrorized an innocent village, a thing that caused so much conflict within just a small forest, shared the same blood as him and Aletha.
* * * * * * * *
As Asahi and Aletha hopelessly stared at The Kitsune, suddenly from behind the wall of scorching flames, was a jet of water spewing out toward the beast and extinguishing a portion of the embers. It was a bright blue jet of cold liquid mixed with slight hints of orange encircling the rushing water. From a distance, the wanderers heard a loud voice.
"Don't mess with those boneheads without me!"
What came from the archway of water was no other than a young woman with long, silky aqua hair and an antenna that shone ever so brightly over her head. Asahi and Aletha screamed in confusion, with shock stimulating their muscles.
"Marina?!"
Marina nodded, softly giggled, then jolted straight toward The Kitsune, unleashing streaks and jets of cold water through the scorching flames and the nine tails of the beast.
Scrambling from the shadows was a tall man with long mocha hair and burning orange eyes. As the silhouette slowly walked toward The Kitsune, a massive streak of orange flew over the beasts' nose and tossed it into the air. Asahi squinted his eyes and gritted his teeth, knowing exactly who that was.
"Phthonus…" He faintly muttered.
Aletha wasn't as pleased to see him the second time but was relieved that he returned nevertheless. Despite getting hit and kicked by Phthonus, he sprinted toward Asahi and whispered.
"Everyone makes mistakes…."
He offered his hand to Asahi.