Ryuzio walked beside Zyon through the forest on their way back to Klanta, having left the bald man tied up inside the forest hideout a couple minutes before.
Zyon stopped below a tree, putting a hand on Ryuzio's shoulder to hold him in place. "Something is rushing here."
"Where?" Ryuzio jerked his head side to side. "I'm not surprised, but I wanna go see Melga—"
The trees ahead of them started shaking wildly, accompanied by a grinding groan.
"Is it…an Etherbeast?"
"Most likely," Zyon said with a nod. "And it seems its coming…for you!"
The creature bounced from tree to tree, revealing its slender cat-like body which had black spots over its green skin. It jumped off from a treetop with its jaws wide open, flaunting its sharp lower canines down at them.
Zyon stepped in front of Ryuzio. "Don't worry."
"Uh-huh." Ryuzio gulped as he saw the creature falling down at them. "I'm not scared—"
Zyon grabbed Ryuzio, pulling him along as he jumped backward, air slashing horizontally before their eyes, creating a sharp gust that rustled the leaves of all the trees around them.
The Etherbeast got chopped cleanly in two in midair before it fell to the ground, purple blood leaking from its split body, several trees around them going down as well, their trunks sliced clean.
Ryuzio's eyes widened as he noticed a man holding a wide sword ahead of them. "Brythe! I didn't know you could also swing that sword you always carry. I always thought it was just to scare others."
Brythe walked closer, resting his blade on a shoulder, moonlight revealing his tall figure. "Why do you think it was running from me?"
Ryuzio laughed. "It saw you carrying that sword and ran away? What a scared little cat! Or a scared 'big' cat…?"
Zyon chopped at Ryuzio's head, making him bite his tongue. "I told you, it was coming for you." Zyon looked at Brythe. "What about the other three? And those twenty men?"
"The Beasts pretty much handled the men trying to tame them," Brythe said, putting his sword behind his back. "Though a few might still be out there. The Beasts, however… One's in the village. Klen's got another." He pointed ahead, behind Zyon's back. "That's the last one."
Ryuzio turned sharply. "Another—?"
Zyon pushed him away, the 10-foot chicken-like Beast falling in between the two of them.
"Agh!" Ryuzio shouted in panic. "It's going to eat me—!"
Then he noticed the man on top of the feathery Beast. He had glowing skin and hair that seemed to be flowing upward. The man's face appeared youthful, a soft greenish glow radiating off him.
"You got your sleep back," Zyon said with a smile to the man. "See, everything's fine now."
Ryuzio pointed at the newcomer. "Who's this guy, Zyon?"
"Hm?" Zyon looked confused for a second, but then laughed. "You don't know this guy?"
Ryuzio looked at the bored expression of the young man's face. Then he turned his head back to Zyon, shaking it.
The man with glowing skin squatted to meet Ryuzio's eye level. "How about now?"
Ryuzio's eyes widened at once. "Erixon? What happened to you! You almost look healthy!"
"Why's that a concerning thing to you?" The youthful man sighed, confirming he was Erixon all along. "You say it as if it's a bad thing that I look healthy."
Ryuzio shrugged. "I figured you liked being unhealthy more."
Erixon's eyebrows came together. "That…" He sighed, standing. "Who was the intruder, Zyon?"
"Kalrah." Zyon turned to Erixon, sliding down his hands into his pockets. "I thought you'd do a much better job at asking him questions, and saving the village seemed more important, so I left him tied in the hideout of the Volants trying to wreck this village."
"But these Etherbeasts got attracted by Ryuzio's Pulses," Erixon pointed. "That may have saved many lives of Klanta."
Zyon laughed, looking down at Ryuzio. "So you're the savior of Klanta, after all, Zio."
Ryuzio removed his stare from Erixon. "My…curses?" He grimaced, looking at his palms. "I'm cursed?"
Erixon sighed. "Zyon, let's retrieve Kalrah, Brythe will take care of the rest."
"Sure," Zyon said, stepping beside Erixon.
Brythe placed a hand on Ryuzio's head. "You going with them or coming with me?"
Ryuzio shook his head back into the moment. "I wanna go see Melga—!"
Brythe picked up Ryuzio and put him on the back. "Better hold on tight."
"Heh—?"
Brythe jumped, Ryuzio holding onto him with dear life.
"Zyon," Ryuzio said, glancing over his shoulder. "When we meet next, you're going to tell me about the curse, okay?"
Zyon smiled, cupping his mouth to shout back. "Sure!"
###
Lyla stared intensely at the gray-haired man on top of the muzzled beast. "He killed…Mom?"
"How can this man be free?" Jenro's tears rolled down to his cheeks. "Not only were those doctors incompetent for not being able to save your mother, the skyguards are even more so for not being able to catch this man!"
"Good, good," the gray-haired man said, looking into his camphone. "The more emotion, the better."
"Stop recording this, you shameless bastard," Lyla shouted at the Volant atop the strange animal. "Do you not feel guilt over the crimes you've committed?"
The gray-haired man snorted loudly. "If I did, would I be filming this right now?"
Lyla kneeled, taking a sandal off one foot.
"One knee?" the criminal said. "That's something new for me—"
Lyla threw the footwear at the criminal's foul mouth, the sandal hitting his phone, knocking it to the ground. "I missed his face!"
"Tch." The gray-haired man whipped the creature on which he rode, making the beast neigh angrily. "Kill her."
The beast whipped its tongue at Lyla.
Lyla brought her hands up, closing her eyes. "AAGGHH!"
Jenro's eyes widened as he put a hand out toward Lyla. "Lyla!"
The purple tongue of the creature whipped past her, a blasting sound echoing behind them in a distance, before the creature pulled its tongue back.
Jenro breathed heavily, turning to her from the side. "Ly…la?"
Lyla slowly opened her eyes, looking at her father. "Wh…?" She glanced at her arms, and found them untouched by the beast's tongue. "What did just—?"
Something flopped beside Jenro's legs, making him jump slightly. Something long and purple.
Drops of strange purple liquid dripped off the beast's tongue onto the ground, making it step back. Its whip-like tongue had somehow grown way shorter than just moments ago…
"Huh!" the gray-haired man shouted angrily. "Who's there?"
Lyla stood in shock as she realized what the thing that just dropped onto the ground actually was. 'The creature's tongue was blown off—?'
"Captain told me to not kill anymore," a voice said from above them. "So I asked him about the other options."
The gray-haired man looked at the roof of the clinic. "Who the fluck are you—?"
The criminal's shoulder burst open, blood spraying out, making him yell in agony as he fell off from the beast. The beast backed away even more.
The figure jumped off the roof, landing in between Lyla and the beast. "He told me I could always mortally wound."
"Shoot him down, men!" the gray-haired man grunted loudly, reaching for his bloodied shoulder.
Lyla looked upon the man who stood in front of her, his black suit blending him with the night. "Are you…Zyon's friend?"
"Friend?" The man glanced over his shoulder, tipping his hat. "Afraid so. But I already have a pretty wife and a brilliant child, so I'm also afraid that I can't accept your proposal."
The criminals around the beast turned their weapons toward the man in black.
"Proposal…?" Lyla said softly before her face started flushing. "What's making you think this is a proposal?"
"These lights." The man turned his head toward the night sky. "They fool a man into thinking he's living in a paradise, while in reality, if this was indeed one, those lights would be down here."
Three blasting sounds echoed in a distance as the criminals shot at the black-suited man—
The men who just fired fell off their feet with agonizing groans, blood leaking out from their shoulders, pooling around their bodies on the ground.
"What!" Jenro said loudly in bafflement. "What happened just now? How're you still standing after they shot you?"
The gray-haired criminal crawled away from them, holding onto his bleeding shoulder.
"Old man," the black-suited man said as he glanced back at Jenro. "I'm afraid shooting is MY job here."
Jenro threw both of his hands forward, pointing at the man's thighs. "But ever since you came down here, your hands haven't left your pockets! So how'd you shoot them?"
"It's called a quick-draw," the black-suited man said simply.
"But I didn't even see your gun!" Jenro complained loudly.
The black-suited man tipped his hat with a smile, turning away. "Thanks."
"Huh?" Jenro turned to Lyla, confused. "Did he even hear what I said?"
"I think he took it as a compliment, Dad," Lyla said, unsure herself. "Maybe that's the whole point of a quick-draw."
The beast neighed, swinging around its purple tongue at the man in—
It fell, a hole punctured into its head, another piercing sound echoing around behind them.
The black-suited man took the hands out from his pockets, taking off his hat and putting it closer to his chest, revealing his red hair. "May you find peace in another life, by not borning as my enemy again."
"Hey," Lyla said, reaching for the man's shoulder. "Who're you—?"
The black-suited man took but a step forward, making Lyla's hand miss his shoulder. "Charms like this don't work against a focused man. But I would advise you some shame, woman. Even after being told already that a man has a pretty wife and a brilliant child, you still fail to control your desires?"
"Did you hit your head or something!" Lyla shouted, flushing, Jenro holding her back from hitting the black-suited man. "How're you even coming to those bizarre conclusions? I was just trying to ask for your name!"
"I have none." The black-suited man put his hat back on, starting to walk down to the groaning gray-haired man. "Though the people closest to me call me Harold. My pretty wife gave it to me, and I ended up naming our brilliant child something similar to that."
"We didn't ask for your life story, young man," Jenro said dryly. "Though, excuse my coldness."
The red-haired man looked back. "I heard what you said about this man. Is it true he killed your wife?"
"Yes…it's true." Jenro lowered his eyes. "My wife and I opened a store after our five years of being together. Our daughter was still very young during—"
"Didn't ask for your story, old man," said the black-suited man dryly. "Though, excuse my coldness." He turned away.
"You bastard!" Jenro shouted, Lyla holding him back from hitting the black-suited man. "Come here, you—"
"Do you want me to kill him?" asked the red-haired man simply, pointing a finger at the gray-haired criminal. "Just give me a nod and I'll deal with the rest."
Lyla gulped, looking at her father. "Dad…"
Jenro stared at the gray-haired man, who was slowly crawling away from the black-suited man, his expression twisting in horror from their conversation of ending his life, not a single word coming out from his dried lips.
"If he does it for us…" Lyla said, eyes watering. "Maybe we can do it, Dad. We can avenge, mom—"
Jenro patted her head with a fist. "Don't let that thought turn into words, Lyla, for words are what turn into our actions."
"But, Dad…" Lyla sobbed, jaw tightening.
"I understand how you feel, Lyla," Jenro said calmly, tears forming in his eyes as well. "You think I can ever forgive the man who ended the life of the woman I love? After Shyna's murder, my mind was consumed by only two thoughts: my pure love for Shyna and my sheer hatred for her killer."
"So…you've made peace with it?"
Jenro looked into her eyes. "I can never make peace with a wound as deep as this one, Lyla. However, I had a realization when my mind was in those dark days."
"What was it…Dad?"
Jenro embraced her with a tight hug. "That I don't have to limit myself to those two thoughts. And the one who helped me realize this was none other than you, Lyla, my beloved daughter. If we keep our focus on things we've lost in the past, we'll never be able to appreciate the things we presently have and run the risk of losing them too."
Lyla's jaw relaxed, tears trailing down her eyes. "Dad…"
"We don't have to be like them," Jenro said, pulling Lyla's head into his shoulder, "when we're capable of so much more. Let's not limit ourselves."
"Right…" Lyla sobbed. "You're right…Dad."
"But everyone has to pay for their sins." Jenro put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her to his front. "So this time, we'll make sure that this murderer gets behind bars."
Lyla nodded. "I understand, Dad…"
"We won't let him take the easy way out," Jenro said, pointing at the gray-haired man. "We'll bring justice to Shyna by saving him and handing him to the skyguards, so that he receives proper punishment and regrets his horrible choices."
"We'll do it." Lyla nodded, wiping off her tears. "I've already called upon the skyguards, we'll keep him alive until they arrive, and then hand him over to them for his crimes."
Jenro nodded with a faint smile. "I'm happy you grew up to be this smart, Lyla."
"And I'm happy to know that I helped you in those dark days, Dad—"
The black-suited man walked toward the clinic from in between them, carrying the gray-haired criminal on his shoulder. "Show me the room to drop him, will you? He didn't stop losing blood, you know."
Lyla walked in front of him with a resolute expression. "Follow me."
###
Zyon and Erixon stood shocked when they discovered that Kalrah was nowhere to be found in the forest hideout.
"I slept him," Zyon said, pointing at the beam to which he'd tied Kalrah to. "He couldn't have woken up from that this quickly."
Erixon nodded. "But he did."
Zyon sighed. "We still have our other squadmates around the boundary, so there's no way he's getting out of here."
"He did take on three of them with ease, though," Erixon pointed. "I think you should be the one to go after him."
Zyon agreed. "Something else has been bothering me, Erixon. Kalrah has definitely changed over the years, but I still have many questions. Why was he after Ryuzio? And…" His brows tensed.
Erixon raised a brow as Zyon turned to him with a hardened expression.
"You remember him having any tattoos on his left arm?"
###
Five men wielding gun-like weapons had surrounded Ryuzio and Brythe.
One of them pointed his gun at Brythe, who stood tall without hesitation. "What did you do to our Beast?"
"Killed it."
The man took a step back, straightening the arm in which he held his weapon toward Brythe. "You're kidding?"
"How long are you guys going to fight for?" Brythe asked, taking out his sword from his back. "You know what pointing weapons means, right?"
One of the men stepped forward. "What—?"
Brythe swung his sword in great sweeping arcs. "It means being ready to throw your life away."
The men fell to their knees, their chests bleeding out. "Bas…tard…"
Ryuzio was shocked to see the ease at which Brythe swung around the slab of a sword. "Brythe…you're awesome too…"
"I don't know if there are more of these," Brythe said, putting back his sword. "But we should hurry to make sure they don't hurt any villagers."
Ryuzio nodded. "Yeah."
###
Klen rested by the body of the leathery-skinned Etherbeast he just defeated. "Took longer than I expected—" He stood up, turning his head toward the deeper part of the forest.
A bald man emerged from there, wearing a sleeveless shirt.
Klen's eyes widened as he realized the identity of the man. "Kalrah—!"
One of the men that Klen had taken out before the Beast stood from the ground, charging at Kalrah. "So this was your plan all along, leader?"
Kalrah put an arm toward the man to stop him. "I can barely walk, Wanney, let's calm down and talk."
The man with a scar on his cheek swung his sword at the bald Volant—
Kalrah's hand flew off from his shoulder, flippinh in the air—
The Beast behind Klen rose, and then lunged into the air, gobbling up Kalrah's sliced arm.
'How strong is this Wanney character? His sword is not skallo and he got through Kalrah's Surge? If Kalrah's that much weakened, it can only mean he fought Zyon. But still—?'
Wanney shouted, running up to Kalrah and stabbing through his heart. "This was not the plan, leader!"
Kalrah fell to the ground, eyes losing life, chest holding the sword in—
The Etherbeast started eating Kalrah's body as if it had been starving for a month, starting from the man's bald head.
'Kalrah had absorbed an Ethershard…'
Wanney turned toward Klen. "Leader was the strongest man I knew! If I can beat him, then I can also beat you!"
Klen frowned in annoyance. "You think I'm weak just because I'm short?"
"Huh?" Wanney said, confused. "When did I say that—?" His eyes widened as Klen lunged at him. "AGH!"
###
Ryuzio saw Jenro thanking the skyguards that arrived half-an-hour or so before. He stood next to Lyla as Brythe hid away from the skyguards. Would they really recognize him?
Aksel's men were being handcuffed and taken inside large vehicles that had no tyres. The other vehicles carried the Etherbeasts that were found around the village, whole or otherwise.
"Can we go see Melga now?" Ryuzio asked Lyla, tugging on her coat.
Lyla smiled as she removed her eyes from Dref—who was bandaged somehow—being handcuffed by a skyguard. "Sure, follow me."